


In Safe Hands

by supremethunder



Category: Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Other, Reader-Insert, Steve Rogers x Reader - Freeform, friend!Natasha x Reader, reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-03
Updated: 2014-11-06
Packaged: 2018-02-23 23:52:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2560370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supremethunder/pseuds/supremethunder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A knight and shining armor can come in all shapes and sizes, including a former Russian spy.</p><p>friend!Natasha x Reader; slight!Steve x Reader</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author Note: This is NOT a pairing between the reader x Natasha. This one-shot basically has Natasha acting as a friend/ally to the reader. This one-shot goes out to all the ladies out there who have ever been harassed or cat-called on the streets just because of what they were wearing, or couldn’t feel safe walking in their own neighborhood.
> 
>  
> 
> _Disclaimer: I don't take ownership of Natasha or any Marvel characters for that matter. I wrote this for fun, not profit. Enjoy!_

Even though everybody suffers from stress or burnout in their lives, everyone copes with it in their own way. While some turned to alcohol or drugs, you turned to running. That’s right, running. You loved the feeling the cool breeze against your skin when you ran, and the feeling that you could leave behind all your troubles and worries in the dust. Not only was it a healthier alternative to alcohol or drugs, but it also gave you a sense of freedom and satisfaction. 

And that was what led you to your decision to go for a light jog on the track in the park that Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, there were times when getting a little exercise in a public place had its drawbacks: street harassment for example.

“Damn, baby! Nice legs!” a tall, burly man shouted at you.

Despite feeling incredibly violated and disgusted by the stranger’s comment, you decided you were going to ignore him and continue jogging. It wasn’t until the man decided to take his harassment a step further and slap your ass that you chose to stand your ground.

“Keep your filthy hands to yourself.” You warned with a glare.

He quickly turned around and glowered at you before he began to approach you. For a brief moment, you almost regretted speaking out against his ‘compliment’. Almost.

“Why don’t you learn to take a compliment?” He started to approach you. “I was just being nice.”

“Cat-calling at me and slapping my ass is not being nice, much less a compliment.” You glared right back at him. “I’m not a piece of meat.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t dress like such a slut!”

You briefly looked down at your outfit, which consisted of a [color] tank top with a pair of black shorts. Why was it that when you decided to wear something other than jeans and a t-shirt that some men felt entitled to put their hands on you, or shout obnoxious catcalls in your direction?

“Oh, so just because I’m wearing shorts and a tank top I’m a slut?”

“What do you expect when you’re walking around like that?”

Before you could attempt to keep your distance and take a few steps back, the man suddenly grabbed you by the arm and yanked you forward towards him.

“Instead of acting like such an ungrateful bitch, you should say thank you.” He spat.

Knowing there was nobody else around to come to your aid, you turned your head away and shut your eyes, preparing for the worst. It wasn't until you heard another voice that you felt relieved that you were proven wrong.

“I’m only going to say this once: let her go and walk away.” Another voice spoke from behind him.

Much to your relief, the man took his hand off your arm and turned around to face the person that stood behind him. She had short red hair that was tied in a loose bun and emerald hues. When you inspected the woman’s face closely, you failed to hide your surprise when it suddenly dawned on you who she was.

 _She…she’s the Black Widow…_ you thought awestruck.

After the event of Loki nearly destroying New York City with his Chitauri army last year, it was no surprise the Avengers had garnered quite a bit of attention and prestige from the public shortly after the battle. While some of your friends had ogled Thor or marveled at how strong the Hulk was, your favorite Avenger happened to be Black Widow. Sure, she didn't wield a hammer to summon lightning and thunder like Thor, or have the capabilities to turn into an enormous green rage monster like Bruce Banner, but she was capable of holding her own with her wit, courage, perseverance and talent in martial arts.

“Back off! This ain’t any of your business, bitch!”

You didn’t know what was more shocking: the fact that the infamous Black Widow, also known as Natasha Romanoff, had come to your defense, or the fact that the man didn’t even seem to know who she was. Then again, Natasha wasn’t exactly gossiped about as much in the media compared to Iron Man or Captain America.

“Oh, I beg to differ. Now are you going to walk away or are we going to have to do this the hard way?”

“And if I don’t?” he challenged.

“Well, let me put it this way: I’ll _persuade_ you.” Natasha suddenly pulled out a gun and pointed it at him.

The man froze up when she pressed the gun against the base of his neck. “Y-You’re gonna murder me in cold blood?!”

“Self-defense is not murder.”

“You’re crazy!”

“I’d say that’s debatable if you’re willing to take the risk.”

“Okay, okay. I get it.” He held up his hands up in surrender. “J-Just… just put the gun down, okay?”

“I’m glad we have an understanding.” Natasha slowly tucked her gun away, but not before she swung her elbow up and delivered a swift upper-cut to the man’s face. He howled in pain and staggered back a few feet, clutching onto his bloody nose and mouth.

“A word of advice: next time you decide to put your hands on another woman without her consent… don’t!” Even though the cold glare Natasha shot in his direction wasn’t meant for you, it still sent a chill down your spine.

You watched the man run off to tend to his nose, which was probably broken, before you looked at Natasha still awestruck at what you had just witnessed. Natasha met your gaze when she felt your eyes on her.

“Are you okay?” she inquired with a hint of concern.

“A little shaken,” you gave a short nod before you smiled a little. “But I’m okay. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Natasha’s lips curved upward ever so slightly.

“So, uh…” you weren’t really sure what else to say so you asked the first question that had been plaguing your mind since you saw Natasha’s gun.

“Were you really planning to—“

“Shoot him?” Natasha interrupted with a small smirk. “No, it was just a scare tactic. It’s not loaded.”

“Oh...”

“But I’ve always got a back-up in case that doesn’t work.” Natasha reached out into her back pocket and pulled out a small, black tube of lipstick. Yours eyes widen when she pushed a small button on the lipstick and static flew off the top of it.

“Is that a taser?”

“It’s a stun-gun, actually. Courtesy of Stark Industries.” You gaped at her when Natasha held it out for you to take after she turned it off.

“Are you sure I can have this?”

“Don’t sweat it. I’ve got more. Considering what just happened, you have just as much right to have one of these as I do. You deserve to feel safe.”

You looked at the stun-gun in your hand, feeling touched beyond words at Natasha’s kind gesture. At that moment, you felt as if you were now in safe hands.

“…thank you, Natasha. For everything.”


	2. In Safe Hands II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer** : I don't take ownership of any Marvel characters or Marvel stories. I made this story for fun and not profit. Enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> _Your plan was to meet the rest of the Avengers. Unbeknownst to you, Natasha formulates a plan of her own to set you up with a certain star-spangled man._

About two months had passed since your first encounter with Natasha Romanoff in the park. A week after the event, the two of you coincidentally ran into each other again at your local gym. After striking up a conversation with her, you both decided to make plans to work out together again. It didn’t take long for you and Natasha to become friends, and make lunch plans to hang out and chat every so often. 

Despite the information you shared with her about your own life, there was still so much you didn’t know about Natasha's life. At the same time, you knew that as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., there was a lot of information she had to keep classified, and you respected her desire to keep certain aspects of her life private. Unfortunately for Natasha, the same couldn’t be said for Tony.

When Tony heard from Clint that Natasha had made a new friend, it was no surprise that Tony’s interest was piqued and wanted to meet the person who managed to crack through Natasha's hard shell. It took a lot of convincing not only Tony’s part, but also Clint’s part to get Natasha to ask you to stop by Stark Tower sometime—now known as the Avengers Tower—to introduce you to the other Avengers. So the following Saturday afternoon, Natasha invited you out for coffee to ask if you wanted to meet them.

“So, are you interested in going?” Natasha asked. “They’ll understand if you can’t.”

“Are you kidding? I’d love to meet them!” You grinned with excitement.

“I was afraid you’d say that.” Natasha sighed, her eyes boring into her cup of coffee.

“Why is that?”

“I prefer not to mix my personal life with my work life.” It was a little too late for that.

“C’mon, Natasha,” You pursed your lip. “It’s not like I’m being invited to move in with them. It’s just a meet and greet.”

“I suppose…”

“So when do I get to meet the others?”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

Once you finished your meal and coffee, you and Natasha headed for the Avengers Tower. As you stepped inside the building, Natasha confirmed with J.A.R.V.I.S. that you were her guest before you took the elevator to the top floor. You hadn’t reached the top and already your heart had started racing and your stomach was in knots.

“Are you nervous?” Natasha asked, even though she knew the answer. She could tell by your heavy breathing patterns that you were feeling anxious.

“Yeah, just a little.” You sighed.

“Don’t worry, they don’t bite, but I can’t speak for Tony.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Once you reached the top floor, you followed Natasha out of the elevator. You suddenly spotted Tony mixing himself a drink in the bar area, wearing a Black Sabbath shirt. He looked up from his drink before he shot you a lopsided smile. “I take it you must be the lovely (Name) I’ve been hearing about.”

“I am,” you returned the smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person, Mr. Stark.”

“Please, call me Tony.” Tony insisted. “So, tell me. How’d you kids meet?”

You and Natasha looked at each other before you spoke.

“Well, Natasha and I met at the park a few months ago, and she happened to walk by when someone was harassing me. At the risk of sounding cheesy, she came to my rescue and scared the guy off. The rest is history.”

“How valiant.” Tony smiled at Natasha in a cheeky manner while she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

“So, where are the others?” you briefly gazed around the room, hoping to spot them.

“You’ve grown bored of me already, haven’t you?” Tony protruded his lip into a pout. “The magic is gone.”

“No, not even!” you quickly shook your head and laughed nervously. “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Stark.”

“Tony,” he corrected you.

“Sorry… Tony. It’s just that I was sort of hoping to meet all of you today.”

“Sorry to disappoint, sweetheart. But everyone else is ways away at the moment, well, with the exception of myself and Capsicle of course.”

“Capsicle?” You repeated with furrowed brows.

“He means Captain America.” Natasha said.

“Why is he called... oh, I get it.” You nearly slapped your forehead for not picking up on Tony’s reference.

As if on cue, the elevator doors opened before Steve stepped out. Much to your surprise, he wasn’t wearing his star-spangled uniform. He wore a collared button up shirt underneath a leather brown jacket with dark brown pants.

 _Wow. That’s a good look for him._ You mentally nodded in satisfaction before you quickly chastised yourself for ogling him.

Steve caught your gaze the minute you realized what you were doing, and gave you a polite smile.

“There’s the man of the hour!” Tony held up his drink as if to make a toast. “We were just talking about you.”

“All good stuff I hope. I was just stopping by to grab my sketch book.” Steve smiled before he approached you. “You must be Natasha’s friend, (Name), right?”

“That’s right,” you shook his outstretched hand to you. It felt a little rough, but it was warm; it was oddly comforting. “I guess there’s no need for introductions then. It’s nice to meet you, Steve.”

“Likewise; Natasha didn’t say you'd be stopping by.”

“Sorry for dropping by unannounced.”

“There’s no need to apologize.”

“You know,” Tony cut in. “It’s interesting how you couldn’t call me by my first name, but you could with Rogers.”

You gave a small shrug in response. “I guess it feels a little more natural? No offense.”

“None taken,” Tony polished off the rest of his drink before he made a beeline for the elevator. “As much as I’d like to stay and watch you ogle Rogers, I’ve got some work to finish up.”

“I-I wasn’t ogling him!” you defended.

“You keep telling yourself that, honey.” Tony said before he stepped inside the elevator.

“Jerk,” you mumbled under your breath, your cheeks now flushed.

"You get used to it." Steve chuckled.

As Natasha looked between you and Steve, she suddenly had an epiphany about who she was going to set him up with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: I might make a spin-off for this two-shot if all goes well with the idea I'm running with right now for Steve and the reader. If it all works out, you can expect a short Steve x Reader series in the near future. ^-^


End file.
